It is the conventional practice for packets of cigarettes to be packaged in multiples using rigid wrappers commonly known as cartons, which appear substantially parallelepiped in shape.
One type of carton consists in a wrapper of flat and elongated shape exhibiting four longitudinal faces, including two main faces and two narrower faces, and two transverse end faces.
One of the panels coinciding with one of the two main longitudinal faces functions as a lid, secured by a longitudinal flap sealed along one of the two adjoining narrower longitudinal faces. The lid in this instance cannot be closed stably once the seal is broken, and in effect the general practice is to discard these cartons once opened since they do not protect the packets thereafter during the period of consumption.
Another carton of comparable type consists in a rigid wrapper appearing as a container, of cupped embodiment, with a similarly cupped lid hinged to the container in such a manner that one open end of the selfsame container can be closed. The lid is retained in the closed position by means of a frame projecting from the open end of the container.
These cartons are designed to serve as storage containers until all of the packets they hold have been used up, although the flat diecut blanks from which they are fashioned require a relatively large quantity of wrapping material for their preparation and there is a significant amount of waste wrapping material generated in manufacture. Moreover, a lid hinged to one end of the container affords ease of access only to those packets in the container that are positioned nearer to the open end, whereas the user is unable to see the packets positioned at the bottom of the container.
The object of the present invention is to provide a rigid wrapper that will permit of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks simply and economically.